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[Taiwan Immigrants’ Global News Network] Indonesia has a large Chinese population, and most of them have lived there for several generations. Chinese culture and traditions have been deeply rooted in every corner of the Indonesian archipelago. Because of this, Chinese New Year, known in Indonesia as “Imlek”, has become a national holiday, with various celebrations taking place across the country.
Indonesian Chinese must eat thousand-layer cakes (Kue Lapis) during Chinese New Year. “Kue” in Indonesian means pastries or cakes, and “Lapis” means layers. Thousand-layer cake originated from the Netherlands. It is very labor-intensive to make and needs to be baked layer by layer. The smaller the distance between each layer, the more exquisite it is, and the longer the baking time.
The Indonesian thousand-layer cake also has the aroma of cinnamon. Overall, it uses more cream than the thousand-layer cake sold in Taiwan. The texture is moister and taste sweeter. However, because of the cinnamon, it subtly reduces the sweetness and greasy taste, it is my favorite pastries when I was a child.
In addition to preparing thousand-layer cakes, Chinese families must also have pineapple cakes. The fillings of Indonesian pineapple cakes are all made of pure pineapple. Indonesian pineapple cakes are usually made in the shape of round or small leaves. The size is smaller than the pineapple cakes familiar to Taiwanese, just like the pineapple cakes sold in the market, which can be eaten in one sitting.
Also, the Indonesian government has vigorously advocated ethnic harmony in recent years. The Chinese New Year has become one of Indonesia's national holidays. Many department stores hold dragon and lion dances, and play New Year songs during the New Year. It is very lively and even more festive than Taiwan.
